'holiness' originates from Old English, specifically the word 'hāligness', where 'hālig' meant 'holy' and '-ness' was a suffix denoting a state or quality.

'hāligness' transformed into the Middle English word 'holinesse', and eventually became the modern English word 'holiness'.

Initially, it meant 'the state of being holy', and this meaning has largely remained the same in modern usage.